The Gift
by weavingdreams
Summary: Jaime discovers that dreams indeed do come true .


_Thanks to neesie-pie who gave me the encouragement to set this down_.

The Gift

The late summer breeze wafted through the window and over the couple relaxing on the couch. Oscar gently cupped Jaime's face in his hands and began to kiss her. "I love you, babe. I have always loved you."

As Jaime returned his kisses, she nestled in his arms; their kisses became longer and more passionate. After a few minutes, Jaime sighed and laid her head against his chest. "I am so happy," she whispered. "I love you. I have wanted to tell you for so long."

She closed her eyes, savoring the moment. The phone rang, but Jaime was determined to ignore it. Nevertheless, it continued to ring. Jaime groaned, opened her eyes and started to reach for the phone. She looked around momentarily dazed and confused. It was mid-morning and sunlight was shining brightly into the room. She was alone.

The phone had stopped ringing, but Jaime didn't even stop to wonder who was on the other end. She lay back in bed, considering her dream. This was not the first time that she'd had a romantic dream about Oscar Goldman. Though she enjoyed the dreams, they left her puzzled. She didn't have such feelings for Oscar -- did she? She knew that he was often in her thoughts; she might be browsing in a bookstore or taking a walk and would catch herself wishing that she could share the experience with him.

How did Oscar feel about her, she wondered. He certainly seemed to enjoy her  
company. He often drove up to see her when he was in Los Angeles on business. In fact, it seemed that lately he was on the west coast more often than usual. Or was that just wishful thinking? Jaime's thoughts began to wander. There were times that she thought she saw a particular tenderness in his expression when he looked at her... she pushed the thought out of her mind.

"This is silly -- I am not in love with him," she said firmly to herself. Over the years, their relationship had grown from cordially professional into a close and easy friendship. "Oscar is just my boss and a good friend. Nothing more." But as she got out of bed to make breakfast, she found herself still thinking of the dream and smiling just a little more than usual.

Jaime didn't realize it, but several hours later she was still smiling. It was her birthday. At lunch, Helen and Jim had a small cake for her. She had helped Helen in the garden and spent some time taking care of the horses. She had just showered and was relaxing on the couch when the phone rang. This time she picked it up quickly.

"Happy Birthday, Jaime." Oscar's deep voice was unmistakable.

"Hi!" Jaime answered happily, unaware that a slight blush had crept onto her cheeks.

"Well, believe it or not, I still have the evening free. Are we still on for tonight?" Oscar asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Well, I do have plans," she teased. "A good friend promised to take me to dinner."

Oscar chuckled. "Cancel them. I'll be there by 7. Oh, and Jaime, just so you know-- we're dressing up tonight."

Hanging up the phone, Jaime was conscious of the broad smile upon her face. _A friend, nothing more_, she told herself firmly. But her heart told her otherwise.

Just before seven, Oscar pulled up to the carriage house. It had been a long few days. He was looking forward to tonight; with Jaime, he could relax.

Once work had consumed him. But since meeting the young woman, he gradually realized how much of life he had missed out on over the years. Being with Jaime made him determined not to waste any more time. Nervously he fingered the gift-wrapped box in his pocket. He had chosen Jaime's birthday gift with care. Lately he had come to realize that Jaime meant more to him than anything in the world. When she opened the box, would she understand how he felt? Maybe tonight he would have the courage to finally tell her.

_Steady now_, he thought to himself as he knocked on the door. Hearing Jaime call to him to come up, he opened the door, took a deep breath and climbed the stairs.

Jaime had unconsciously been listening for Oscar for the past half hour. Now that he was actually there, she practically bolted to the kitchen. Putting the dishes away gave her a chance to compose herself before greeting Oscar.

As Oscar walked over to Jaime, he noticed how lovely she looked in the light green dress. Her hair was down, flowing loosely around her shoulders. Her back to him, he placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the side of her forehead.

"Hi" he said softly.

With her heart racing, Jaime leaned into Oscar's arms and kissed him on the cheek. "Hi back," she said. She moved out of his arms and looked him over.

"You look great" she said. And he did. Although he regularly wore a suit and tie, tonight he looked somehow different, more dashing.

"That's my line," Oscar pointed out. "Although in your case I'd have to say that you look beautiful."

Jaime smiled her thanks. She was about to start puttering again when she noticed that Oscar had started to pace around the apartment. Something was up - he looked more nervous than a schoolboy.

"Oscar, is something wrong? Do you have to leave soon? You know that I'll understand."

"What?" Oscar was confused.

"You're pacing. You often pace when something is wrong."

"Oh." Now Oscar was relieved. "No. Nothing is wrong. I was thinking about the right time to give you this." He removed the gift from his pocket and handed it to Jaime. "Happy birthday, babe."

As Jaime settled on the couch, Oscar sat down next to her. She unwrapped the gift and opened the velvet-lined box. Inside was an antique heart-shaped locket. It was quite beautiful and obviously very expensive. Delicate filigree engravings swirled around the heart; a small diamond was set in the middle.

"Oscar, it's lovely. I've never seen anything like it."

He reached over and removed the necklace from the box.

"It was my mother's. This was a gift from my grandfather to my grandmother. She wore it for a short while before giving it to my mother." He opened the locket and showed the picture to Jaime. "These are my parents. The picture was taken a few months before they were married."

He slid out the photo, placed it on the coffee table, and then gently placed the locket back in Jaime's hand.

Jaime seemed to be frowning. Concerned, Oscar contemplated the gift. Over the years he had given her flowers, candy or less intimate gifts. Had he made a mistake?

When Jaime looked up, her voice was serious. "Oscar, this is a very valuable gift. I'm not sure I -- This is a family heirloom. Shouldn't it go to someone in your family? I'm sure that she would want it to go to a cousin or niece or..."

Oscar reached over and gentlycaressed Jamie's cheekwith his hand. His voice was soft and low. "My mother left it to me. I want you to have it. You are the most important person in my life."

Jaime's eyes began to mist. "I'll treasure it always," she whispered. She began to fumble with the delicate chain.

"Here, let me help." As Oscar tenderly moved her hair from her neck to fasten  
the chain, Jaime leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you so much."

She looked into his eyes and saw the answers to the questions she had been asking herself for so long. This _was_ what she wanted.

"I love you" she said softly before kissing him again. Oscar kissed her on the forehead and face, whispering, "And I love you."

"Those words are the most perfect birthday gift" Jaime sighed as she thought, _Dreams are nice, but real life is wonderful._


End file.
